Russian forces are accelerating efforts to control a presence on the entire Dnipro River in Ukraine, deploying high-risk patrols to claim territory that could be crucial for future peace negotiations, The Guardian reports.
Ukrainian governor of the Kherson Oblast Oleksandr Prokudin said that Russian troops are attempting to advance across the river on four crucial points. These actions appear intended to support Moscow’s assertions of authority over the oblast, which is one of four oblasts Russia has stated it will annex.
Every single day they are trying to cross. Intel reports have concluded that the Russian deputy commander ordered soldiers in the area to cross the river no matter what, although not every soldier is enthusiastic about complying,” Prokudin said during his visit to Britain.
Commissioned by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prokudin said Russian troops are targeting a village on the western bank in particular to use it as leverage in future negotiations. “The Russians completely realize that this is a suicidal mission,” he said. He also said that papers recovered from Russian soldiers showed a combination of new recruits and experienced fighters who have been fighting for more than two years.
Russia controlled the majority of the Kherson province at the beginning of the war, on both banks of the Dnipro River. Following a withdrawal in November 2022, though, Russian forces evacuated the west bank, including the city of Kherson, due to logistical challenges rendering supply lines unsustainable.
Just weeks prior to this retreat, Russian President Vladimir Putin had made a unilateral declaration of annexation of the whole of the region, along with three others, declaring that the inhabitants there were “our citizens forever.”
Prokudin grumbled that Russia is attempting to retain its presence on the western bank in a bid to solidify its claim to the territory. “They are trying to demonstrate that ‘we are on the right bank’,” he argued, further noting that these efforts have taken on power with the ongoing discussions regarding a potential truce.
